Red Rose pass a test of character February 12, 2012 ANOTHER STEP FORWARD The margin of victory wasn’t as emphatic as Stuart Lancaster would have liked but his emerging England side passed another significant test in Rome at the weekend. It would have been easy for the team to have panicked when they trailed 15-6 but it speaks volumes for the level of trust that [...]
Italian job gives hope to Lancaster February 12, 2012 ITALY (15) vs ENGLAND (19) ENGLAND interim head coach Stuart Lancaster hopes his team’s 100 per cent start to their Six Nations defence will persuade the Rugby Football Union to make his appointment permanent. A resolute second-half display capped by Charlie Hodgson’s second try in as many Tests and the flawless kicking of Owen Farrell [...]
Cook’s England ready to face a new trial by spin February 12, 2012 Skipper insists harsh lessons have been learnt from their recent nightmares on the subcontinent but Pakistan will look to exploit some familiar failings ALMOST exactly a year on from their torrid World Cup campaign the relatively recent change of captaincy and minor reshuffle in personnel has up until now given England’s one-day set-up merely an [...]
IRB back France postponement February 12, 2012 THE International Rugby Board has backed referee Dave Pearson’s decision to postpone Saturday’s France v Ireland Six Nations match in Paris. Pearson called off the tie just 10 minutes before kick-off after deciding that parts of the pitch at the Stade de France stadium were frozen. The match will now be staged during one of [...]
Evans guides GB to Davis Cup victory February 12, 2012 GREAT BRITAIN overcame the absence of world No4 Andy Murray to secure a 3-2 Davis Cup victory over Slovakia following Dan Evans’s thrilling five-set victory over Martin Klizan at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena. Without Murray, currently training in Florida after his Australian Open semi-final defeat last month, Leon Smith’s squad were severe underdogs in this Europe/Africa [...]
Sarries Goode fortune is bad news for Wasps February 12, 2012 SARACENS closed the gap at the top of the Premiership to three points after Alex Goode’s 17-point haul secured a narrow 22-17 win away at London rivals Wasps. Second-from-bottom Wasps have now lost seven consecutive Premiership matches but the losing bonus point they earned yesterday means they hold a nine-point advantage over rock bottom Newcastle. [...]
Wales hunting Triple Crown at HQ February 12, 2012 WALES (27) vs SCOTLAND (13) WALES coach Warren Gatland toasted his team’s maturity after they went top of the Six Nations table and set up a Triple Crown meeting with England at Twickenham. Two tries from Leigh Halfpenny, whose expert kicking saw him finish with 22 points, and another from wing Alex Cuthbert on his [...]
Ennis and Chambers on song February 12, 2012 Jessica Ennis equalled her personal best to win the 60m hurdles at the indoor UK Trials and Championships in Sheffield, while Dwain Chambers won his fifth 60m title. Former heptathlon world champion Ennis, who won in a time of 7.95 seconds, said: “I’m really pleased. It shows winter training has gone well and I’m looking [...]
Zambia complete fairytale win February 12, 2012 Zambia won their first Africa Cup of Nations title by beating favourites Ivory Coast 8-7 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out. The match finished 0-0 after Chelsea’s Didier Drogba skied a penalty in normal time, while Arsenal’s Gervinho missed the decisive spot kick in an epic shoot-out.
Westwood thwarted by Spaniard February 12, 2012 Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello beat England’s Lee Westwood and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher by a single shot to win the Dubai Desert Classic. US Open champion Rory McIlroy finished fifth.